Baseball is a popular sport and exercise in many countries such as the United States, Mexico, Canada, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Venezuela, and Japan. Usually a baseball game must be played by nine baseball players per team. If only one person desires to play baseball, a problem arises of not having at least a pitcher, a catcher and a batter (hitter) for batting practice by a player. To overcome this defect, in the prior art, a baseball server for a single user was developed to eliminate the need for a pitcher and a catcher. In one prior art patent, the baseball server throws a baseball which has a flying path simulating the traveling path of the baseball from a pitcher. However, this prior art baseball server needs a larger area for use, so that it is inconvenient for many users.
Another problem occurs when a user plays batting practice in a self-batting format with no mechanical equipment involved, wherein the batter throws a baseball upwards and then hits the baseball with a bat. The flight path of the baseball will be affected by the behavior of the batter such that the flight path of the baseball is either unfair or beneficial to the batter and does not represent a proper swinging movement by the batter. Moreover, after the baseball is thrown upward, the user must then hold and swing the bat quickly, often missing the thrown upward and arching baseball. This time period is too short for the batter to react quickly for a proper swinging movement.
There remains a need for a baseball server apparatus having a delaying timer element for delaying the upward movement of a baseball between batting swings of a single baseball player. The baseball server apparatus should also include a foot touch plate for actuating a movable rod within a server seat member in order to move the baseball in an upwardly arched flight path from the server seat member.
The prior art does not disclose or teach a baseball server apparatus using a novel ejection assembly and actuation means for propelling a baseball in an arched upwardly direction.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present to provide a baseball server apparatus having a delay timer element for delaying a movable rod so that a batter has a delayed time period for preparing the batter for his or her next swinging movement in order to hit the ejected baseball from the baseball server apparatus.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an ejection assembly for propelling the baseball in an upwardly direction such that the batter can adequately swing his or her bat in order to hit the baseball from the baseball server apparatus.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a foot touch plate assembly for actuating a movable rod within a server seat member in order to move the baseball in an upwardly arched flight path from a detachable baseball seat member.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a baseball server apparatus that is simple to use, uses only a limited space, is easy to maintain, and is capable of withstanding everyday wear and tear.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a baseball server apparatus that can be mass produced in an automated and economical manner and is readily affordable by the consumer.